


Turns Out You Have a Type

by Dancing_Bean



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-02
Updated: 2015-05-03
Packaged: 2018-03-28 17:00:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3862573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dancing_Bean/pseuds/Dancing_Bean
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As Melinda leaves Providence Base she is forced to ask for help from the two people she would rather not face - her mother, and her ex. Cue processing, some emotional healing and an ever so slightly possessive Black Widow</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Have you ever been married?”

“Once”

 

Typical. Melinda could go whole months without having to deal with her topic of her ex, and now she was dealing with the subject twice in one day. She was used to the rush of emotion that came when someone else brought up past relationships. Over time it had lessened somewhat, the pain and guilt now mixed with regret and a special sort of exasperated fondness. However, talking about it was one thing, trekking across the country to find them was something else. Especially because she had been forced to involve her mother...

 

“You’re not going to take her out are you?”

Melinda suppressed an eye roll “No, Mom. I just want to talk.”

“Good. I’ve always liked Maria.”

Melinda bit back a sharp retort. Her mother had driven a long way to pick her up after all.

 

 

Sitting there in her mother’s car brought back memories of the last time she and Maria had visited her together. It had been a year after Bahrain, maybe a little more, and Maria had driven them out for their usual break around Chinese New Year. On that trip the young woman had been tense and unhappy, worn out after months of trying to help Melinda, trying to give her space, trying to understand and trying not to ask. Nothing she could do was helpful, and no help was acceptable. Melinda couldn’t bring herself to care. When they arrived her mother had taken one look at them and hustled them inside.

“Maria, you look exhausted. You’ve lost weight. And did you drive the whole way?”

Maria had shrugged, and said it was ok, and dragged up a ghost of her old smile. Usually at this point Melinda would have cut in, asking if her mother was pleased to see her only child while rolling her eyes, would have joked that Maria needed to work less and spend more time with people who ate proper meals rather than only drinking coffee at a desk. That year, she couldn’t bring herself to care.

Later, her mother had sought her out on the porch, pressing a mug of coffee into her hands before sitting neatly beside her. They sat there in silence for a while, staring out into the night.

“You are going to break that girl” her mother said finally.

Melinda shifted slightly, the older woman’s words uncomfortably close to the whispers that broke through her nightmares.

“I know you are struggling” she continued.

Melinda shot a glare at her.

“I know” her mother repeated firmly. “But how much more should be lost? How much more can you lose?” She rose and rested her hand on Melinda’s shoulder briefly before leaving her with the dark.

She had sat there for hours, thinking. Truly feeling for the first time in weeks. Slowly, she had set those thoughts and feelings down in writing, afraid that when the time came she would have returned to the numbness that governed her life at the moment. Two days later she found Maria huddled under a stand of pine trees at the end of the garden. She had pulled out her scribbles and they had talked, really talked. Afterwards Maria had looked at her through unshed tears, a tiny smile pulling sadly at the corner of her mouth.

“The first time I have actually seen Mel rather than The Cavalry in months, and she’s telling me to leave.”

Melinda had met the young woman’s eyes for a long moment, then Maria leaned over, kissed her cheek softly and left.

That evening she had stood on the drive, watching Maria head off on her old motorbike. Her mother had been waiting by the door, and with an approving nod pulled her in for a rare hug. She may have broken Maria’s heart, but she hadn’t broken the woman. And in the process of letting her go had made the first step towards healing. She hadn’t lost herself.

Over the next couple of years she had seen very little of Maria. The younger woman was sent on a few mid-length missions, staying away for a couple of months at a time before returning to be assigned somewhere new. It was clear even from down in admin that Agent Hill was rising fast and would go far. Melinda hadn’t been surprised, she had fallen for the complex mix of intelligence, talent and stubbornness that made up the core of Maria’s being well before most people recognised what she had to offer. She had continued to believe in Maria when she couldn’t believe in herself, and watching her succeed, even from a distance, made Melinda proud.

 

 

 

It was that belief, undimmed over the years, which had led her to this moment. Her mother handed her an envelope containing the information on how to contact Maria. Melinda held it like it contained a bomb.

 

Apt, when Maria’s sharp gaze hit her with almost physical force, cutting through the gloom of the alley. “A phone call would have done it” she bit out, lowering her gun and shaking her head in exasperation. “I appreciate the discretion” she added wryly, and shifted into a less defensive stance, as if confident that for now at least her tails had been effectively disabled. The air between them practically crackled with tension and suppressed emotion.

Melinda raised an eyebrow. “Thought you’d like the night off” she said, working to keep her voice level. “They must hate that you’re going to work for Stark.”

Maria’s lips quirked down in amusement “Most of the intelligence community would like to drop me into a dark hole, but even they can’t argue with Tony’s army of lawyers. So, for now, we are privatising global security.” Melinda could read the frustration and restlessness under the tall woman’s calm exterior. “Wanna join?” she asked facetiously.

“Coulson needs help” Melinda ignored the question, “and he won’t take it from me anymore.” She was unable to properly hide the hurt she felt at this, and watched as understanding settled in Maria’s eyes.

“Where is he?”

“Providence base. He’s got enough to worry about without obsessing over TAHITI and who covered it up. Besides us.” Her tone was bitter.

“How much does he know?” The almost manic tension that had been present since the disappearance of her tails flowed out of Maria’s limbs, to be replaced by concern.

“Enough. That they used alien biology, rewrote his memories. And that Fury did it under someone else’s direction. I want to know who that was” Melinda watched Maria closely, looking for any tells.

“You’re afraid it was Alexander Pierce” she said matter-of-factly.

“Secretary Pierce was the only person Fury took orders from, and he was HYDRA. Having a man like that design your brain... you understand my concern.”

Maria turned away, not arguing with her point. “Fury took his cues from somebody pretty high up, that much I know. But when I asked him who it was Fury said he buried that information when he decided not to bury Coulson.”

“Maria, this is not the time to wax poetic”

Maria met her glare head on without flinching. “Those were his words not mine. You knew the man, sometimes he spoke in riddles.”

“Guess I’ll have to solve it then. Unless you want to ask Fury for me?”

“Fury’s dead” Maria stated with a well practiced bland expression on her face that as good as told Melinda the truth. It was comforting in a way that Maria wasn’t working to hide this from her. They had always been good at communicating without words. At least they had been until Bahrain stripped her of her spirit.

“I’ll believe it when I see it” she returned with a tiny quirk of her lips.

At that moment with a blare of sirens and flashing lights a selection of sleek black cars turned up, squealing to a halt. Melinda melted into the background, watching as Maria’s posture changed to one of complete control and authority. She didn’t even try to hide her small smile as her ex-wife bereted the federal agents who had been tasked with bringing her in, chastising their incompetence. As they approached to cuff her Maria made a subtle signal with her left hand, meant for Melinda alone.

 

Hours later Melinda heard the smooth engine of a government car pull up outside Maria’s apartment. A car door slammed, then moments later the front door opened. Maria looked exhausted as she walked in, and showed absolutely no surprise at finding Melinda there on her sofa. Melinda stayed seated as she removed her shoes and jacket, rolling up her shirt sleeves and flexing her shoulders and neck as if trying to relieve tension.

“Hungry?” Maria asked as she padded barefoot past the sofa to the kitchen.

“A little” Melinda allowed, following slowly.

Maria was pulling Tupperware boxes out of the fridge, tipping them into saucepans. She put some rice on to boil then leaned back against the counter, looking at Melinda tiredly. “So I’ve been thinking about what Fury said”

“Good. You knew him better than I did. And you were always better at the cryptic crossword clues.”

Maria smiled faintly “That wasn’t hard Mel, you had the patience of a three year old Tony Stark.”

Melinda huffed a little. “So? What was your conclusion?”

“What did you come up with?” Maria countered, stirring a pan.

“The grave”

“Me too. Have fun with that” Maria shot her a small smirk, then turned back to her cooking.

“Thanks” Melinda said dryly, looking around the kitchen to avoid watching the tall brunette too closely. It was compact, as the rest of the apartment seemed to be, and gave off the impression that its owner wasn’t around much. A couple of cartoon mugs and a photograph on the fridge were the only really personal touches. Maria came over to get some plates, and found her looking at the picture. It was a simple snap of Maria and Natasha Romanoff taken somewhere with bright sunshine. Natasha clearly had been holding the camera at arm’s length and was grinning widely, leaning back into Maria, who had her arm wrapped around the smaller woman’s chest just under her breasts, cheek resting on red hair. Melinda glanced at her questioningly.

“Natasha likes to play at being tourists sometimes” Maria explained, grabbing the plates and starting to dish up, “I think that one was taken somewhere in Rome. She’s not around at the moment, you don’t have to worry that she’s going to turn up.”

Melinda took one last look at the photo, taking in the relaxed attitude of the two women and trying to reconcile it with the situation they were now in.

“Agent Romanoff doesn’t worry me half as much as grave robbing does” she said with a wry smile, sitting down to eat.


	2. Chapter 2

As usual that morning after finishing her customary exercises Melinda made two cups of coffee and headed to Coulson’s office. He found working there in the early morning easier as it was still quiet and it had become a routine for them to share a drink, usually in companionable silence. After the events at Providence Base Melinda had been unsure whether she would be welcomed back, but when she did show up with coffee in hand Phil had smiled and moved some files off a chair for her. From that point on the tradition had continued uninterrupted.

On this particular morning Phil was twitching, and she suppressed a groan, wondering what could possibly have gone wrong this early in the day.

“We have been invited to a BBQ with the Avengers” Phil said as soon as she had sat down, looking a bit taken aback.

Considering the last time he had had contact with the Avengers Clint had punched him and Tony had refused to even see him this was not really a surprise. Underneath the shock she could see how much this meant to him: dealing with his ‘not-death’ had caused strain in his relationships with many of the people he cared about. He must be well aware that this was an olive-branch situation, most likely thought up by Maria. It was the sort of thing she would do. Olive-branch plus burgers.

Melinda winced “I don’t think I should go”

Phil merely raised an eyebrow and swivelled his computer screen so that she could read the email. At the bottom there was a ‘P.S. When Mel says she shouldn’t come, tell her to stop being ridiculous, it’s not a good look for her. Maria’

A tiny smile flashed across Melinda’s face, while Phil just grinned at her.

“She still knows you well” he said, turning the screen back to type out a reply.

“And that’s not at all worrying” Melinda muttered sarcastically to herself, taking a fortifying sip of coffee.

 

 

Of course a BBQ involving Tony Stark could not be a simple affair. When the team from the BUS had arrived there had been three foot flames shooting from a large, silver contraption that Stark loudly assured Phil was a new and improved BBQ grill that he had developed. Overnight. Phil had smiled, nodded encouragingly and then ordered FitzSimmons to stay well away in case it exploded. Not that he needed to worry, the two scientists – along with Skye - were geeking out completely at being surrounded by both the Avengers and high ranking former agents from SHIELD. Melinda had stayed alongside Phil for a while, providing quiet support as they greeted people. There was a tense moment when Clint approached, but the archer merely punched Phil in the arm then passed them both a bottle of Starks high quality beer. Melinda got the impression that words were not Barton’s strong point. She could relate to that.

As Phil relaxed she moved away, finding a quiet spot on a bench where she could keep an eye on her team and observe ‘Earth’s Mightiest Heroes’. Jemma and Skye were talking to Maria, who seemed to be handling their enthusiasm surprisingly well. Fitz was with Phil, Barton and Stark, looking terrified and in awe, something Stark appeared to be playing on by being even more outrageous than usual. Trip was the most chilled of the lot, standing with Steve and Banner with drinks and snacks. Romanoff was moving from group to group – Melinda recognised her efforts as keeping an eye on everyone, alert for tensions or problems. Similar to what Melinda herself was doing, albeit with different methods. Melinda watched her with interest; the Black Widow was a legend, and Agent Romanoff a professional. This was the first time Melinda had seen Natasha. The redhead returned most frequently to Phil and Barton, as if to reassure herself that they were ok, and to Maria’s side where she would relax slightly, accepting a hand on the small of her back or giving a hip nudge with an ease that spoke of long familiarity. In turn Maria’s gaze followed the smaller woman unconsciously whenever she moved away, and though her attention appeared to be focussed on Jemma and Skye she angled herself instinctively to keep Natasha within sight.

Even if Melinda hadn’t turned being observant into a career, even if she hadn’t stood in Maria’s kitchen a few weeks ago and seen that picture, she would have known there was something between the two. As it was, not only could she see that they were in a relationship, she could see how comfortable and in tune they were, and how good it had been for Maria. Strangely, this didn't sting as much as she had thought it might. Maybe because Romanoff was so clearly a worthy equal to Maria - even in the limited interactions they had here the give and take was shared with an ease that few couples managed. Or maybe it was just that the sunshine and beer were getting to her.

 

Eventually, and with considerable delicacy, Maria managed to disengage herself from the eager babbling of the two young women. She moved over to Melinda’s bench and sat next to her with a sigh that ruffled her hair.

“They talk a lot” she said.

“Yup”

“Good people though. Jemma’s really grown in confidence. I like Skye.”

Melinda smiled. They sat enjoying the peace for a while, just watching the people around them. It felt surprisingly right.

“So, turns out you have a type” Melinda said eventually.

Maria shot her a look, part amused, part something unreadable. “Short, terrifyingly competent and lethal?”

“And hot” Natasha had approached silently, and she slid in on Maria’s other side in a way that on anyone other than the Black Widow would be called possessive.

“And hot” Melinda nodded, tipping her bottle towards the redhead in agreement.

“Only a fool would argue with that” Maria murmured. Natasha snagged her bottle and took a sip.

“Hey” Maria protested.

The assassin smirked “You love it, Hill” she said, taking another long, provocative drink.

Maria sighed, shot a mock glare at her girlfriend and got up, heading over to where Phil, Bruce and Thor stood next to the cooler. Melinda’s eyes followed her as she collected another drink and stood with the guys, laughing at something Phil said. She was glad to see that some of the gentle humour and ease had returned to the two former agents relationship, and hoped that it would help Phil settle. He didn’t rely on many people, but Maria had been a constant in his life for so long and they worked together so well that they were almost like two sides of the same coin. Fury’s right hand and trusted eye. Melinda knew that Phil’s loss of faith in Maria had contributed to his problems, the lack of her grounding presence had allowed him to spiral away. It looked as though they were managing to patch up some of those issues today, which made a tightness in Melinda’s chest that she had barely been aware of relax.

“I think you might have a type, too”

Melinda turned to the assassin still sat on the bench, finding her watching her closely, looking amused. She raised one eyebrow in a way that usually made junior agents fall over each other to in their hurry to get away. Naturally it had no effect at all on the Black Widow who just smiled and tilted her head towards the small group in front of them.

“Efficient. Reliable. Constantly underestimated.”

Melinda opened her mouth, paused, and then shut it again.

“Quietly commanding” Natasha continued with a teasing glint in her eye, “looks damn good in a suit.”

Melinda gave up, and rolled her eyes. “Tell him and I will have to kill you”

Natasha chuckled “You will have to try to kill me” she amended, stretching her arms above her head and standing. With a parting grin she walked away over to the group and slipped an arm around Maria, who greeted her with a kiss to the temple.

Melinda settled back on the bench in the sun, feeling relaxed. No pain, no resentment, no more guilt. Watching her ex-wife wrapped securely in the arms of the redheaded Russian, Melinda realised that she was happy. For them, and for herself. As she sat and digested this unexpected moment of self reflection, Natasha turned, met her gaze and winked. Moments later Phil walked up smiling softly at her.

“Natasha said you could do with another drink.”


End file.
